Korean Galbi — Flanken-Cut & LA Galbi

Beef short ribs: the plate short ribs (ribs 6–8, lower chest) or chuck short ribs (ribs 1–5, upper chest). Korean butchers prefer the plate short ribs for their more uniform meat-to-bone ratio. The meat is the intercostal muscle, serratus ventralis, and overlying subcutaneous fat layer between and above the rib bones.

1. 1For LA galbi: request your butcher cut cross-grain (perpendicular to the ribs) in 3–5 mm slices — most Korean grocery butchers will do this on request or it is available pre-cut. Each slice contains one partial rib bone cross-section.
2. 2For traditional flanken: ask for cuts 1.5–2 cm thick, parallel to the rib surface through 3 ribs — the resulting strip is roughly 20–25 cm long with three bone circles.
3. 3Soak cut ribs in cold water 30–60 minutes to remove excess blood, changing water once; pat thoroughly dry.
4. 4Prepare marinade: blend Asian pear or kiwi (enzyme tenderiser), soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and gochujang or black pepper to taste. The fruit protease (bromelin or actinidin) breaks down myosin fibres, genuinely tenderising the meat beyond what salt or acid can achieve.
5. 5Marinate LA galbi 2–4 hours maximum (thin cut over-tenderises); traditional flanken 6–12 hours.
6. 6Grill over charcoal or high heat; LA galbi 60–90 seconds per side until caramelised; traditional flanken 2–3 minutes per side.
7. 7Cut at the table using kitchen scissors (가위, gawi) — standard Korean BBQ practice — into 3–4 cm pieces; eat wrapped in perilla or lettuce with ssamjang paste, sliced garlic, and kimchi.

• The Asian pear in the marinade is not optional for Korean galbi flavour — it contributes a distinctive fragrant sweetness and the enzyme that tenderises; canned pear purée works if fresh is unavailable.
• Score the meat surface lightly in a diamond crosshatch before marinating to help the marinade penetrate the fat cap.
• Bring marinated galbi to room temperature 20 minutes before grilling — cold meat on a hot grill causes the marinade to steam rather than caramelise.
• Grill in batches — crowding causes steaming. Rest each batch on a wire rack while the next batch grills.

• Bone-in short rib (English cut)

  Thicker, needs longer braising or butterflying before marinating; grill only if very thinly sliced

• Boneless short rib (flanken-style)

  Loses the bone-imparted flavour but accepts the marinade and grill method; cuts more uniformly

• Beef back ribs (thinly cross-cut)

  Less meat-to-bone but works for LA galbi style if cross-cut thin

• Flanken-Cut Short Ribs (General)

  The parent cut geometry from which LA galbi derives; used across Latin American and American BBQ

• Kalbi Jjim Cut (Thick Flanken)

  Same flanken geometry but cut 4–5 cm thick for the braised galbi-jjim preparation

• Beef Short Ribs (English Cut)

  Bone-in, parallel to bone — the American BBQ equivalent cut through a single rib

1. 1.The Food of Korea — Injoo Chun, Jaewoon Lee, Youngran Baek (2008)
2. 2.Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces — Bill Kim (2019)
3. 3.The Korean Table — Taekyung Chung & Young Soon Kim (2008)
4. 4.My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes — Hooni Kim (2020)

Confidence: high